While You Were Gone
by Miah The Storm Wolf
Summary: Helga's been missing for six years. How much have things changed without her? How much has she changed?
1. In the Alley

While You Were Gone

"Why should I?" A small boy with chocolate smeared over most of his face stood against four very mean looking bullies.

"Because we said so. Right boys?" The other three stood cracking their knuckles or smacking their fists into their hands.

Chocolate Boy glanced uneasily from thug to thug. Although a few years older, age did not do much for his scrawny frame. He'd already told these morons he didn't have any money, but being well known had its disadvantages. They all knew of his love of chocolate and asked for it as a substitute payment. He growled at the very thought of giving up his precious chocolate, but he didn't want an express ticket to the intensive care ward either. So he did the only thing he could; he ran.

The bad news is that it had rained yesterday and the streets were still soggy. His sneakers slapped roughly against the wet payment. Every once in a while he'd step in a puddle and his shoes would make a sick squishing sound. Either way he wasn't hard to follow. The thugs were closing in on him, snapping like dogs at the heels of their prey. Despite his wet and soggy shoes it looked as though he might get away. Then he tripped.

Somewhere in the mud and the muck his shoelaces had come untied. He groaned and rolled over only to face the four ugly mugs of his pursuers. Sometime during the chase it started raining again. They looked like dogs more than ever now with their soaked clothes clinging to them, wind-ruffled hair pointing in every direction, and tongues lolling with fatigue. Their leader even as he spoke was panting.

"Alright kid, *pant* you've had *pant* your fun. Now it's time for a whole new dimension of pain." Chocolate boy cringed down and waited for it, but it never came. He looked up to see them staring at the shadows ahead.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." One of the shadows spoke. It revealed itself to be a person in the alley. Nothing odd about them, blue jeans, casual shirt, however a baseball cap kept their face shrouded from view. "Leave him alone or face my wrath." The voice was definitely feminine.

"Hey guys, check out Tinkerbell over here. She thinks she can fight us." They all started laughing.

The girl, however, remained impassive. "Hey kid, get out of here. Let the grown-ups play for a while." Although she kept her eyes trained on the thugs her last comment was directed towards Chocolate Boy. At first he just sat there. She looked down at him, "Now!" With a quick nod he was off. "Okay, now to deal with you punks."

By now they had stopped laughing. "Okay dollface, you want to play with us? Watch out, we boys like to play rough."

"So do I," she replied. And with that the first of the four charged at her, fist ready... only to have her sidestep his attack, effectively slamming his fist into the wall behind her. From the cracking sounds she judged he had about three broken knuckles and would no longer be a threat in this fight. The second one grabbed her wrist, but she got a hold on his, twisted it around behind his back, and used her knee to shove him face-first into the wall. He'd be out cold for a while. The third guy wasn't so dumb. He approached from behind and caught her in a bear-hug. Instead of struggling she relaxed and took a deep breath. _Then_ she dug the heels of her shoes into his feet and used her head to hit him in the jaw. He immediately released her. When she turned around he was coughing up blood and spitting something out. It looked like part of his tongue.

Looking around she only saw three bodies. Apparently during the fight their leader turned chicken. He didn't have far to run though, three of the four exits in that particular area were dead ends and he found himself in one of them.

"Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide." Somehow she managed to track him to the end of the urban maze. This time she didn't even wait for him to attack first. She ran at him and swept his legs out from under him. Then she put her foot on his chest and leaned down so close that her face showed from under the bill of her hat. What he saw rendered him speechless. The girl laughed at his expression, "Hello to you too, Wolfgang."

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"I don't know, Gerald. What if it's not her?" A football-headed youth gave the impression of being rather excited, or scared, or maybe both.

"Come on, Arnold. It has to be her, you saw the poster. Besides, Phoebe's coming to the show." The African-American athlete was practically dragging him towards the café where the infamous "Cecil" was supposed to be preforming that night. "Here we are, the Bellé Luna Café."

"Bellé Luna?"

"Yeah, it's French. I think Phoebe said it means 'beautiful moon'. Anyway let's just go in and get us some seats." He made a move towards the door, but Arnold stopped him.

"Look there." Written in large red letters across the poster featuring tonight's show were the words: "Postponed due to inadequate staffing." Translation: Their lead musician, Cecil, was a no-show.

"Man, what a waste of time and a walk." Just as Gerald turned around he tripped over something. Oops, better make that some_one_.

"Gerald, you stepped on Chocolate Boy." Arnold helped the poor chocoholic to his feet. "Hey kid, you okay?" His eyes were darting around as if he expected someone to jump out at any second and he was several shades paler than anyone should ever be. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

"I saw a ghost!" Okaaayy...

"A ghost? You're kiddn' right?" Even "Gerald the Tale Keeper" was skeptical. "You didn't hit you head did you?"

"No! She was there! And the thugs, and the chase, with the running, and the splashing, then the tripping..."

'Okay he's stopped making sense.' "Hey kid, you're rambling," said Arnold, but Chocolate Boy didn't stop. "Slow down, I..." He still kept going. "SHUT UP ALREADY!" Did Arnold just yell? Oh well, at least he shut up. "Okay now start from the beginning and tell us everything."

And thus Chocolate Boy began his tale. He got to the part where he was cornered, "And then..." and stopped.

"What's the matter? Keep going, it's just getting good." Gerald seemed to be on the edge of his seat.

"Well, then _she_ showed up." A look of awe was spread across his face.

"The ghost?" He only managed to nod, not trusting his voice. "How do you know she's a ghost?"

"Well, she stepped out of nowhere in a dead-end alley, she was really pale, and she had an air of cool calmness and raw icy power. But that's not the real reason that I knew." Arnold and Gerald waited expectantly. "After she told me to run, when she looked down at me, I saw her face."

"And?"

Chocolate Boy looked up at them with a look that clearly showed that moment had been the most terrifying in his entire life. "It was Helga."

A/N: Dun, dun, dun! Haha! Bow to the queen of cliffhangers! Whatcha think? Wonder why he'd think Helga's a ghost? Why is Wolfgang so scared of her? Why am I even asking you when you obviously have no idea? Find out nest time on While You Were Gone.


	2. She's back!

A/N: I can't believe I finally am getting these posted. For the longest time ff.n wouldn't let me log in. In fact I've had both of these chapters typed up for about three days.

Shout Outs:

Spork or Foon- This soon enough for you?

Bluechick- LOVE the poem. You ought to post that one. It sounds like Helga's darker side, except she hasn't killed anyone in this story... yet.

LilTyphoon- Go ahead. Go crazy, it's fun!

While You Were Gone, Part 2:

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She's Back!

"H-H-Helga! What are you doing here?" There he was. The almighty Wolfgang Peterson, cowering in a corner, terrified of a girl. This is just too sweet.

She looked at him ruefully and snorted. "What does it matter? I'm here while I am and in the mean time I'll be haunting you like a guilty conscience.

"But why?"

Why? BUT WHY?!" He recoiled from her fury. "After what you just did, you have the audacity to ask why?! I'll tell you why, Wolfgang. It's payback time. For every kid you have ever shaken down, for every person you've stepped on climbing the bully ladder, and for every insult you've ever thrown at the people whom I now consider my friends, I'll be giving a little of it back. Because when you mess with them, you mess with me. And as you've already seen, nobody messes with Helga Pataki." With that she disappeared back into the shadows.

Wolfgang simply blinked at the spot where she used to be standing, but once he regained his senses he bolted for it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They were running, not from something, but _to_ something. "This way guys. It was down this alley." That's right. After C.B. (ten guesses who this is) told his story, Arnold and Gerald were awestruck. They wanted proof.

*Flashback* "Helga? As in Helga Pataki? That's impossible. Everyone knows she disappeared six years ago. Even the police say she's dead by now," said the ever-pessimistic Gerald.

"That's how I know she's a ghost." *End Flashback*

Arnold was the only one not speaking so far. He was too caught up in his own thoughts. 'Is it really Helga? Could she really be back after all this time? When she left it was just so sudden. She was here for her birthday and gone the next morning. Her parents didn't even bother looking for her! That was six years ago today. Hey, that would mean today's her birthday!' Arnold stopped short. (Excuse the pun)

"Man Arnold, why'd you stop?"

Little did they know that high above them perched on the edge of the rooftop stood Helga Pataki. It was dark out by now and she had donned a long, black, matrix-looking leather coat. It fit her perfectly, allowing her to blend in with the night. She stood there, veiled in darkness, watching the scene before her unfold. But even a cool consciousness and steel nerves could not prepare her for what she heard next.

"It's Helga's birthday!" What Arnold said had clearly caught her off-guard and she almost lost her balance. After righting herself she began to listen with a new fascination for the blonde football-head. "It was six years ago today that she left, _on her birthday!_"

'Ah yes, I remember that day clearly...' *Flashb-* 'but I don't have time for flashbacks.' *erm, never mind* So she jumped down, landing with all the grace of a black cat, and strode over to the trio.

"So what, Arnold? All that means is that today is her..." He stopped to count. "16th birthday."

"And you didn't even bother to send me a card."

"Helga?!" Boy, was Arnold sure surprised.

A/N: Man Helga really needs to stop doing that coming out of the shadows thing. It's really getting creepy. Questions or comments? Leave a review! Flames will be played with.


	3. Not a Ghost

A/N: I actually meant for the last chapter to be a lot longer, but my friend Ashley told me that would be a good place to cut it off. I also found out that I left out the disclaimer. I DON'T OWN HEY ARNOLD! There, said it. Just one question though: If ff.n copyrights all of our stories, doesn't that mean that they've already taken care of all that legal disclaimer stuff?

Shout Outs:

Spork or Foon- Yes, cliffhangers are my specialty.

cassbball9797- Chill, Helga's not dead. P.S. Everyone else READ THIS PERSON'S FIC! It is good and it's called "Love is Always There".

Blue-Chick- But of course! No black outfit is complete without the boots.

PointyObjects- Why thank you.

Bellamay76- Oh my god! Bellamay reviewed my story! _The_ Bellamay, greatest writer I've ever read from, reviewed my story! _My_ story! *faints*

While You Were Gone: Part 3

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Not a Ghost

"Shit it's a ghost!" Oh yeah, _real_ brave Gerald.

"Hahaha! I'm no ghost you moron." Helga seemed genuinely amused. Arnold noticed immediately that there was something different about her. Everything was sincere, none of the fake personality that had shown itself to be her common mask.

"Hey Helga." She looked at her beloved for a moment then pushed him into the wall and passionately kissed him over and over, but under her he was saying something. "Helga... Helga.... HELGA!"

She immediately snapped out of the daydream and back into the real world. Shaking her head she replied, "What?!" with a slight snap in her voice.

"You went off into space for a minute. What were you thinking about?"

" Nothing, why?" No snap to it that time, just cold resolve.

"Just curious. By the way, happy Sweet 16, Helga." Arnold extended his hand.

Helga merely stared at the offering, perhaps contemplating actually accepting it, but then turned her nose up at it.

"Okay then." He allowed his hand to fall limply to it's previous position at his side. He seemed somehow disappointed, but quickly recovered when he remembered something. "Hey Helga, why did you help him?"

"Huh?" She mentally slapped herself. 'Oh yeah Helga, that sounded _real_ intelligent.'

"Chocolate Boy, we um, 'ran into him' and he told us you saved him by taking on four thugs, _alone_. And I want to know why." He looked at her expectantly.

There it was, the ever-ready scowl and typical bully facade. "Because..." But she paused a moment and remembered why she had come out here in the first place. With a deep sigh she turned away from him and allowed the mask to drop, barely exposing her true self for the second time in her life. "Because it was the right thing to do."

Gerald was doubtful. "Since when is Helga so honorable?"

"Hey, it's been a long time. A lot can happen in six years you know."

"Like what?"

"Let's just say a certain football-head had a lot more influence on me than he thought he did."

She began to walk away, but someone stopped her. She was surprised to see it was Arnold. "Uh-uh. You're not getting away that easily, not without explaining a few things. Like why you've been gone six years, come back completely changed, and say that I had something to do with it. Plus, we've-," He paused to look at Gerald who was frowning, "_I've_ missed you."

What he said totally caught her by surprise. For a moment all she wanted to do is hold him and say, 'I've missed you too.' But she didn't and instead agreed to answering their questions. "Okay, but could we stop by my job? My boss will want to know why I didn't come to work tonight." 

A/N: I just got this name book and it says my name means "isle of the serpents". I also found out that Helga is Polish and means "righteous", Arnold means "power of an eagle". Cool aye? Leave a review and I'll tell you what your name means!


	4. Outside the Belle Luna

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, but I kind of had my study hall taken away from me. So I've only been able to write at home and during class free time.

Shout Outs:

blue-chick- Of course I did! After all it was a great idea.

Professor Rose Thorn- Hey, didn't you write "Little Miss Hyde"? I have to admit it's a great story.

Pointy objects- HEY! Using school computers for anything other than research is illegal! I should report you, but I won't because since it was my story you're updating I could get in trouble too. Let this be our little secret. :)

Tinánia Legolinde- Cool screen name. Just keep reading! (ps after flipping through my name book, your screen name means "fairy queen")

Vanessa- I'm sure she'll say something interesting. Vanessa means... *flips through book* butterflies.

stevetheloser-Crap you already knew.

cassbball97- Cassandra means "helper of men" in Greek.

DarthRoden- Hey, no big. I enjoy reviewing your story. By the way the name carl means "strong and manly."

While You Were Gone: Part 4

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Outside the Belle Luna

"So what have you been up to?" asked Gerald, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Not much, traveling mostly."

"Helga, why did you leave in the first place?" She looked at him, Arnold, the boy who without even being near her, guided her through most of her decisions.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now, maybe if Phoebe was here."

They continued walking until they reached the Belle Luna Cafe. "Why are we here? The show's cancelled and we don't know how the food is!" Gerald was complaining... again.

"Hey Gerald, weren't you supposed to meet Phoebe here?" Gerald blanched and turned around very slowly. Exactly like in those horror movies where the hero _knows_ the killer is right behind him, and there stood Phoebe, if looks could kill... Needless to say she was mad.

"You. Are. In _so_ much trouble." Maybe 'mad' was an understatement. She was downright pissed. "I am so angry with you that I could-I could..."

"Go smash something. It's great anger management. Just you, a slingshot, and a few potted plants." Phoebe gazed past the boys as Helga stepped forward.

"Helga, is that you?"

"No, it's the Easter Bunny, doi it's me!"

Phoebe gave her friend a teary-eyed smile before running up and hugging her. It was a long time before she released Helga from their embrace. "Oh Helga, I'm so pleased that you have returned!"

"Hey, I couldn't keep away from my best friend for long. B.F.F.A.F.A.?" She held her hand out to Phoebe and she took it.

"B.F.F.A.F.A. Best Friends, Forever And For Always." They said the last part together. "Why have you revisited your place of origin?"

"Well, I was just walking around for a while, but Gerald found me and thought that I would make a nice surprise for you. Right Gerald?" She gave him the just-play-along-I-know-what-I'm-doing kind of look, so he nodded.

"Yeah, what she said."

"Really, Gerald?" Phoebe questioned him.

He grinned at her. "Really, really." (A/N: This sound familiar?)

"Well, then I forgive you. Come on, let's go in and see if anything appears appetizing in this location.

As she entered Gerald turned to Helga. "What was that for? Why did you help me?"

Helga shrugged her shoulders in an I-don't-know kind of gesture. "It seemed like the right thing to do." She then followed Phoebe into the cafe, leaving a very confused, yet relieved, Gerald.

"Man Arnold, this new Helga sure is different... And I like it!" He said as they entered.

"Me too, Gerald, me too." He waited until his friend was out of earshot, "You have no idea how much..."

A/N: I thought I'd just leave you wondering there. To the smart reviewers who paid attention to what happened in the first chapter; you should already know her job. Big problems later, especially once I throw Lila in the mix. What kind? Find out next time on "While You Were Gone", here on Fanfiction.net!


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